A/N I'd like to once again advertise Aguna's story Body Guard, seeing as it is awesome! I should know, I'm betaing it :) So if you haven't read it yet, you should! Oh, and you should also review! You know you want to, just listen to that little voice in your head, it's right after all :)
Chapter Eleven: Shoestrings
Robin watched as the water ran yellow. He used temporary hair dye because Slade liked his contrasting blue eyes and black hair. The teen wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand it made him happy that the man liked him for who he was, but then on the other hand he felt as if he was just a pretty face. Slade's true intentions were still hidden from the ex-hero and Robin was growing frustrated. He missed his friends, how they got along, just hanging out with them. With the mercenary everything was a game and the man had all the cheat codes.
The teen's earlier encounter with his old team had left him shaken. They were falling apart, and he knew that it was all his fault. Robin shut his eyes tight. Why couldn't anything ever work out for him? He felt like screaming, but that wouldn't help. If anything it would just alert Slade and the man would make him explain. Besides, talking feelings with Slade never ended well because the man was practically heartless. Robin was trapped with the assassin, and being trapped was one of the few things that the teen truly feared.
And yet at the same time that he kept trying to convince himself that he hated the man, the 19 year old couldn't deny that he looked forward to their conversations that were full of wit. For once he could argue with someone and even if he lost, he was still happy. Not only that, but Slade was charming. There were times when he would look at Robin and the teen would feel as if he was the only thing in the world. The man had a way of doing that, making one feel so important and needed. It was addicting, and the blue-eyed boy craved that feeling. Slade was smart, charming, devilishly handsome, and a great fuck. Almost every night Robin found himself with the man's huge cock up his ass and his delicious mouth on his own. Just the thought of it made the teen moan softly. He hated the effect Slade had on him, but it was undeniable.
By the time Robin had finished washing out all of the yellow from his black hair (it took a lot of dye to make it that bright) his eyes were drooping closed and he was dead tired. The teen dragged his body out of the bathroom and straight into bed. After having sex for a week straight, pajamas seemed unnecessary to the teen. Robin crawled his way into the bed and fell asleep instantly.
Slade looked at the sleeping teen, a frown etched on his face. He had been reading in a chair next to the bed, waiting for Robin to get out of the bathroom. He had known that the black-haired boy was tired, but still had expected some sort of acknowledgment. Something was wrong with his little bird. Robin had just...collapsed. The man sighed and closed his book. He did love his little mind games, but it seemed as if he would have to give it a rest for a while. Robin had come to him damaged, and Slade would just have to wait until he was fixed before they could play again. It was clear that his bird's mental stability wasn't what it used to be, Race was proof of that. The man grumbled to himself at the thought. He really hated that cheeky personality.
The mercenary moved over to the bed and slid in next to his bird. The teen didn't even stir. Slade sighed and drew the smaller body in closer to him. He wasn't sure what to do, which surprised him. Maybe he would have to call up an old friend...
Robin was slowly brought back to consciousness by the low murmur of Slade's voice. The teen rolled his head over to the side and watched silently as the man paced back and forth, talking on the phone. "I'm in over my head." Robin felt his interest peak. Was the famed assassin really admitting that he was in to deep? To what? "You know I'm not good at this stuff. You remember what happened with Addie!" Addie, who was Addie? Robin never got a chance to find out, because at that exact moment Slade turned around and their eyes met. "I gotta go, I'll talk to you later."
"Who was that?" The teen asked, stretching. He tried to make it seem as if he really didn't care, but on the inside his curiosity was burning.
"Just an old friend." Slade replied as he set down his phone and walked out of the room. Robin sighed, but decided he could wait until he had had breakfast before asking any more questions.
"I didn't know you had friends." The teen said as he hurried out of the bedroom and followed the assassin. The man snorted but didn't say anything, which suited Robin just fine for the moment. The blue-eyed boy was currently distracted by the design of Slade's home, and his eyes drifted from object to object. Even though he had been living there for almost a week, there was always something new for him to look at. The whole "lair" (as Robin liked to call it) was practically made out of metal and had a cold, modern feel to it. The "lair" was located underground near the docks, shockingly close to the Titan's tower. They entered the kitchen, which was also made of metal, and Robin sat down at the metal table while Slade went to the metal refrigerator and started pulling out food.
"Why is everything made out of metal?" The teen asked, his eyes once again darting around as if he had A.D.D, which he just may have.
"Low maintenance." Was the man's gruff reply and Robin sighed. The whole "lair" was the perfect bachelor pad and it drove him crazy. Every where he went the teen was cold, the cool shine of the metal penetrating him to the core. "Then again, you haven't seen the library."
As Slade said this, Robin stilled. He couldn't believe it. Slade had a library? If there was one place where Robin could spend all day long in, it was in a library. And the man had implied that it wasn't completely metal. "Can I see it?"
Slade chuckled at the hope in his little bird's voice. If he had know that the ex-hero loved libraries, he would have lured him in with that instead of sex. Not that he was complaining about the sex, his little minx never ceased to amaze him. "After you eat." With that the man slid at plate with a sandwich on it to the boy and Robin hurriedly stuffed his face, causing Slade to laugh again. "Don't choke." The teen glared at the man but continued to devour his meal.
"So, who was on the phone?" Robin tried again through a mouthful of food.
"I already told you," Slade sighed. "An old friend of mine."
"I know that!" The teen took a moment to swallow before putting down his sandwich and staring at the man in front of him. "Who is your friend?"
"That's none of your business!" Said man snapped before turning his back and getting a drink of water. Hurt flashed across Robin's face at the harsh treatment, not that Slade saw it. The blue-eyed boy couldn't understand why his housemate wouldn't tell him. After all, they were in a relationship of-sorts.
"Do you really not want me to know?" Robin asked in a small voice, which should have been Slade's first indicator that something was wrong, but the man wasn't paying that much attention.
"Yes! God, can't you just..." Slade whirled around but lost his train of thought at what he saw. "...drop...it?" Right in front of the mercenary, the teen's watery eyes dimmed as the life seemed to leave them and the boy sat very still. "Robin?"
After a few minuets the figure in front of Slade started moving again. The ex-hero looked down at his plate, grabbed the sandwich, and started stuffing his face again. The white-haired man sighed in relief, which cause the other person in the room to look up. The two people's eyes met and the younger one said: "Oh, now you've done it!"
Slade groaned. He recognized that voice! It was Race's! The assassin actually had to restrain himself from punching something. "What. Have. I. Done?" He managed to get out through gritted teeth.
Race glanced up an beamed at him. "You made Robin go away!"
"...Robin's...gone?"
"Yep! Gone, out the door, never to look back again, see you later alligator, hasta la vista..."
"I think I get it." Slade interrupted. "Is he not normally gone?"
"Nope!" Race grinned even larger. "Normally I have to fight him tooth-and-nail to get my share of face time," the boy gestured wildly. "But this time, Robin just got up and left. Took me a moment to even realize that the body was empty. Plus, I don't have his annoying voice in the back of my head!"
"So what you're saying is that normally Robin is still present when you take over and can communicate with you?" Slade felt like he needed to sit down at all this new information pouring out of the teen.
"More like he yells at me when he doesn't like something I do." Race got up from the table and made his way over to the fridge for some more food. The mercenary watched him the whole time with wary eyes.
"So Robin is aware of what's going on, even when you're in charge?"
"Yes." Was Race's mumbled reply as he shoved various food-like objects into his mouth.
"But not this time."
"Listen." The teen straightened up and looked Slade in the eye. "Right now, I can barely feel Robin's presence. It's like we're in the same building, but I'm on the top floor and he's on the bottom, ready to leave."
"And how did I do this?" The sense of dread that had been growing in the pit of Slade's stomach suddenly doubled in size.
"You were mean to him." It was silent for a few awkward moments while Race shut the fridge and went back to the table, his arms loaded.
"Surely Robin can take more that a few harsh words. He has before!" Slade began to feel the beginnings of panic welling up inside of him.
"The kid's crushed." Race stated calmly, surveying the feast laid out before him. "Normally I think he has no problem with that kind of stuff, but the guy bottles everything up and now it's overflowing. I mean," the teen kept talking despite the food he was currently consuming. "Robin's got a great poker face, so you'll probably never know. But when I take over, his face muscles are so sore and there is this burning behind his eyes of un-shed tears." Two imploring blue eyes met a single gray one and Slade felt his body practically go limp.
"So what do I do?" He asked in a hoarse whisper, not caring that he was seeking out advice from an air-headed alter-ego.
"Well, next time Robin comes back, I suggest being nice to him and trying to keep him happy." The white-haired man found himself nodding along with everything that Race said. "But, Slade? It might be a while before he does come back."
Slade's movements stilled. The back part of his mind complained about being stuck with Race, but the rest of him, most of him, was worried. Worried about Robin, his little bird, and when he was coming home.
A/N. Alright! Here's super late chapter 11! Sorry it took so long, but I got a new job and I have no time and all this mess! Anyways, review my lovelies! It makes me so happy when you do! :)